I know I need to do more than puzzles to improve but I'm trying to get a puzzle routine going first.
Aiming at 10,000 puzzles a year. Estimate 3 x 1hr sessions per day, 6 days a week will achieve this and more if I speed up. Still very slow at puzzles so far. Time will tell if I can keep the routine going.
Trying to use a graded and rotating way of doing puzzles on Lichess. This means doing one tactic, motif, or theme per session. Therefore will take 18 sessions per week to cover 72 tactics, motifs, themes each four weeks and then rotate through again. The method of each session is to start with -600 difficulty and require five straight puzzle wins to go up a difficulty level. So I am trying to use the Lichess system to give me graded puzzles and repeated reinforcement every 4 weeks. Most stronger puzzles have several embedded elements so there is variety within the session themes anyway.
Does this sound a reasonable method? How do you use puzzles? Then I have to figure out how to fit in opening, middle game, endgame, positional and strategy training plus games. If I can't, I will cut back on puzzles to fit the other elements. But I want to make the puzzle routine a habit first and get faster at them. I don't mind puzzles although I am slow at them. YMMV. Let me know.
Doing puzzles 3 hours a day should make you a better puzzle solver but not necessarily a better chess player. Are you going to devote equal time to the other aspects of your game? If not, this is an unbalanced approach. Puzzles improve the speed and accuracy of your calculation and your ability to recognise patterns, nothing more. And nobody is going to whisper into your ear in a game, 'There's a forced win here.'
@lizani said in #2:
> Doing puzzles 3 hours a day should make you a better puzzle solver but not necessarily a better chess player. Are you going to devote equal time to the other aspects of your game? If not, this is an unbalanced approach. Puzzles improve the speed and accuracy of your calculation and your ability to recognise patterns, nothing more. And nobody is going to whisper into your ear in a game, 'There's a forced win here.'
Yes, I absolutely accept your points. I intend the imbalance to puzzles to be temporary. But I needed to start somewhere. My calculation is very poor and slow so I am hoping to improve it. I also needed a programmatic approach (for calculations) to keep my nose to the grindstone. I found the three hours easily. Time is not the problem. I was wasting 3 hours a day on nothing much. Now I spend those 3 hours doing chess puzzles. Next step will be to find how many total hours I can devote to chess and how to divide them up.
Still interested in what fraction of training time people devote to puzzles and how they do it on Lichess or elsewhere.
Chess tactics solving 30-40 minutes can do good esults. The key is consistency you should do it each and every day. For ten years, so be it. And not to guess the moves. You got to calculate even the very simple ones.
Why not too long? Because you need to train other aspects like openings, endgames, and strategy. Each phase aspect is important. Do not believe in chess tactics is 99% tactics. And yes chess tactics solving should be everyday. To keep you sharp.
@Wodjul said in #3:
> Yes, I absolutely accept your points. I intend the imbalance to puzzles to be temporary. But I needed to start somewhere. My calculation is very poor and slow so I am hoping to improve it. I also needed a programmatic approach (for calculations) to keep my nose to the grindstone. I found the three hours easily. Time is not the problem. I was wasting 3 hours a day on nothing much. Now I spend those 3 hours doing chess puzzles. Next step will be to find how many total hours I can devote to chess and how to divide them up.
>
> Still interested in what fraction of training time people devote to puzzles and how they do it on Lichess or elsewhere.
Well, its a good thing that your doing puzzles, but it doesn't really matter how long you do it its the quality. You should probably be doing 10 if you want some minor improvement or just 150-200 really just 20 minutes at most giving you lots of improvement. (my opinion)
By the way, do not use online tactics trainers. Use chess books. A good chess tactics book has an author's or trainer's personal touch that wants you to improve. Online tactics trainers are random computer-generated positions.
Calculate the lines, not just guess a check and make a move. Building on what @Move_In_Silence_2024 said chess books can be beneficial, but Lichess works fine as well. I would recommend Chess by Laszlo Polgar or if you're looking for more of a challenge 600 Modern Chess puzzles by Martyn Kravstiv (probably just butchered his name big time)
Lichess Puzzle games (namely Streak and Storm) are also a really underrated way to improve calculation and quick thinking, respectively. Try to constantly improve your scores
Watch some titled players explain grandmaster games, it will do much better for all aspects of your game. You've currently got a higher puzzle rating than I've been holding, but looking at your games, you're positioning yourself so the opponent gets the puzzle position. It's not enough to only spot a fork opportunity when your opponent gives you one, you have to spot when you're about to give them one too.
I would recommend the chessable course Introduction to Calculation by Azel Chua. He shows what makes tactics work and what to look for. I would complete this course before you start on your puzzle grind.
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